Forgiveness
by meb1980
Summary: The 10th Doctor and Martha find themselves at the mercy of unknown enemies when the Tardis is highjacked!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"That! That over there!" The Doctor frantically waggled his hand in the direction of the controls as he leapt around the console, trainers skidding on the grating.

"This!" Martha grabbed on to a lever with a purple handle.

"No! To the left! LEFT!"

"Alright! Alright!" She retorted, switching to the other purple handled lever. It took both hands to keep it steady, no easy feat while the entire Tardis was rocketing back and forth. Around them lights flashed chaotically and sparks flew off the central columns as they shuttled back and forth with increasing speed. In the background, nearly smothered by the shrieking machinery, a bell solemnly tolled.

"What's happening?" Martha yelled above the din. The shuddering was growing more violent and she was only just clinging to the lever.

The Doctor let out a howl of protest and frustration as he stabbed at buttons with one hand and tried to keep a grip on the console with the other. "She's not responding! I can't control her!"

"Are we crashing?"

The Doctor had worked his way over to the monitor and was glaring at it incredulously. "No…I'm not controlling the Tardis…someone else is!"

Martha shrieked as part of the console burst open and flames leapt towards her. A particularly violent jerk knocked her to the side and suddenly…it was all over. The flames died, the erratic movement stopped and apart from a faint hissing and sizzling of cooling machinery, complete silence reigned. The Doctor and Martha held their crash positions in shock for a moment before cautiously straightening.

"Phew." Martha breathed, straightening her jacket and smoothing hair out of her face. "That's going to hurt later. Still, nothing broken." she muttered, patting herself down.

"You alright?" She looked up at the Doctor but he was clearly not listening. Frowning with worry, he was looking up at the stilled columns and gently stroking the console.

"Is the Tardis alright?" Martha asked quietly as she looked around. There were no obvious signs of damage, but the golden glow that usually lit the interior was gone and in its place a cooling gloom had set in.

The Doctor let out a big sigh and ran his hands through his already mussed hair. "Yeah, I think so. She's shut down for now though… or something has shut her down." he added quietly, worry lines creasing again.

"But the real question is… where are we?" The Doctor announced, bounding back to the monitor and pulling out his glasses.

"Not to mention when!" Martha smiled wryly, coming to join him.

The Doctor tapped at the screen, eventually eliciting a response. He stared at the symbols curling on the monitor. Slowly his eyebrows drew together and his mouth hardened into a firm line.

"So." Martha nudged him with her elbow "Feel like sharing? Where are we?"

The Doctor took off his glasses, and slumped back against the worn seating, arms folded almost protectively across his chest. He was still staring at the monitor but his breathing had quickened and the fingers gripping his elbows showed white knuckles.

"Doctor?" Martha asked uncertainly. She had never seen such an expression on his face before. Anger, yes she had seen that but this, this was cold fury mixed with heartbreaking sadness.

"Doc- "

"Rilophrius." he rasped. He twisted his mouth as if the name had a bad taste. He cleared his throat but continued to stare at the monitor. Martha waited for him to continue but he seemed lost in thought. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, he continued in a low, tight voice.

"They were a twin planet with Gallifrey. The planets were similar and we shared a lot of biological traits with the Rilophrians. For thousands of years they had been our closest friends and allies." He paused, glowering at events light years away. "But during the Time War, we asked them to help… and they refused." His expression hardened again, the sadness draining, leaving only bitterness and anger.

"And now someone on this planet has had the gall to bring the Tardis here." He pushed off the seats and strode to the door.

"But how could they just do that, drag the Tardis here?" Martha said following him.

The Doctor snorted as he pulled on his coat, "Believe me they have the technology." And with that he threw open the door.

...

Outside, a breathtaking vista appeared. Two suns rode low on the horizon, glittering off snow capped mountains that shone blue in the distance. Valleys ran down from the mountains but instead of green trees, as Martha would have expected, the vegetation appeared as a dull brownish grey that shifted to silver as it waved in the breeze. Stretching below the hill on which the Tardis stood was a city built of white stone. Domes and arches appeared to be the dominant architectural feature and the setting suns shone off green plated roofs. The hill on which they stood was landscaped with the same white stone, the polished flagstones leading to garden beds with iridescent flowers that appeared to be spun of glass.

The Doctor was immune to all of this beauty, his attention completely focused on the trio of figures arranged in front of the Tardis. The group, a woman flanked by two men, were dressed in white robes that flapped in the gentle breeze. Gold and red ribbon trimmed the edges of the fabric as it wound around their forms before draping over their heads. The men did not look at The Doctor but instead stared at the ground, their hands clasped in front of them. The woman's long black hair was traced with silver as it coiled to her waist. In one hand she held a golden staff, topped by an opaque blue stone. She did not advert her gaze and but instead met the Doctor's infuriated eye head on.

"Doctor. Welcome." She said evenly, tipping her head slightly in greeting. She ignored Martha.

"Are you responsible for this?" The Doctor demanded. Martha could practically see him vibrate he was so angry.

"Bringing you here? Yes we are."

The Doctor shoved his balled fists into his coat pockets. "You've a lot of nerve." He said tightly.

"It was not without reason. You are needed." The Doctor's eyebrows shot up and he snorted loudly.

"You are needed now." The woman repeated. "I am First Attendant Roylant. I will escort you to the Oracle."

"No. You. Will. Not." The Doctor bit out the words. "If you think I'm going to go see the Oracle or any other bloody person on this planet you are much mistaken. Release my Tardis."

A tense silence fell over the garden, no birds or insects could be heard in the purple and silver leaved trees.

"We will not release your Tardis until you agree to attend the Oracle. Matters have gone too far for niceties Doctor. You will comply." The first hint of emotion was visible on the women's face, a hardening of the eyes as she frowned, creasing her smooth skin.

The Doctor stared back, challenging her. "What "matters"? Don't test me First Attendant. You won't like where this leads."

"And neither will you Doctor." The woman snapped back. "I am sure you know that holding your Tardis is the least of what we can do." For a brief moment it seemed to Martha that an orange fire flickered to life in the woman's eyes.

"Is that a threat?" He said it flatly, more of a statement then a question.

"Yes. Doctor. I am afraid it is."

The silence stretched again. Finally Roylant's gaze left the Doctor's face, flicking to Martha. "I see the stories are true – a human companion." she observed her voice tinged with contempt.

The Doctor glared at the woman with loathing. "Leave her out of this."

"Time is wasting Doctor. The Oracle awaits." The woman spun on her heel and began to walk, her robes sweeping out behind her. The two men took places behind the Doctor and Martha to herd them forward. The Doctor stood stock still for a moment with his eyes closed, calming his breathing.

"Doctor ?" Martha asked uncertainly. He opened his eyes and turned to her, summoning up a small smile.

"It's okay Martha. It will be okay. Let's go see what all the fuss is about." He held out his arm and she took it gratefully.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

First Attendant Roylant led them through garden paths lined with carved archways. Despite the tense situation, Martha could not help but look around with curiosity. Everything she could see was truly beautiful but as they walked she began to notice signs of decay. Cracked paving stones and toppled and broken urns marked their progress. The fragile flowers she had noted near the Tardis were some of the only ones with live blooms. Other plants looked dead or dying, those delicate leaves and petals shattered. Trees displayed sections of rotted wood, dried leaves scattered on the ground. They passed few people along the path, those they did wore simple white shifts and all stood with heads bowed as First Attendant Roylant drew near. Eventually they arrived at landing. Below them narrow stone steps descended to the city while above, a shorter flight ascended to a domed and colonnaded building. It was a beautiful building, the dome a patchwork of shining green and blue tile, but even here signs of disrepair were evident.

Roylant began ascending the stairs, as the Doctor paused to finally look out at the view. The suns were sending their last red beams over the mountains and lights in the city were coming on.

"It's beautiful" Martha commented.

"It hurts." He replied sadly, remembering other mountains and fields. Slowly, as if feeling all of his 900 plus years, he began to climb the stairs.

The interior of the building was dark, the light of the twin sun-sets barley lighting it. The atrium was rounded and wide, surrounded by large, humanoid statues that doubled as columns. In marked contrast to the white stone seen everywhere else, the stone in this room alternated between gold and black. Every so often a curving bank of candles lit the gloom, gleaming off of the gold but absorbed by the black. The effect was one of stern opulence intended to intimidate.

"Wow, they went all out in here" Martha commented under her breath. When they reached the middle of the room Roylant turned to them.

"Wait here, I will make your presence known to the Oracle." She swept away without waiting for a reply and disappeared through a darkened doorway opposite the entrance.

"Nice. You'd think we were the ones begging to come in here!" Martha whispered. It was the kind of place where whispering seemed required. "I don't think I care for Rilophrius manners." Around them, some more people in the white shifts lit candles or clustered silently in small groups. No one looked at them.

The Doctor smiled faintly. "What we have here Martha is the highest echelons of the clerical class. Arrogance and manipulation is practically part of the job description." He commented dryly.

"So this is… a church?" Martha looked up. The carved statues appeared to be straining to hold up the domed roof. In the centre a stained glass oculus had been designed to look like a world map, presumably of Rilophrius itself. The faces of the statues were stern as they looked down at the pair.

"A temple and the seat of the Oracle." He said in hushed tones while studying the unyielding faces of the statues. "The oracle of Rilophrius embodies the life blood of the planet. It's a conscious entity and part of it exists in all living things, especially the people."

"So kind of like Mother Nature on steroids then?" That won a chuckle and a grin from the Doctor.

"Yeah, sort of."

Martha was still puzzled though, "But how does the 'life blood' of a planet actually communicate? I mean if it wants to see you it must be able to talk or something."

"The Rilophrians are some of the most adept telepaths in the universe; the oracle enables the ability and can communicate that way, or through another person, like a host. Rilophrians can't regenerate but the oracle is similar to the essence of a Time Lord and to the heart of a Tardis." The Doctor's face darkened. "That's why they were able to summon and lockdown the Tardis."

"Is that part of what Miss high and mighty meant, when she threatened you?" Martha asked in worried tones.

"Some of the telepathic powers can be used in unpleasant ways. Even for a Time Lord." He stated grimly. Martha looked at his face in the half light for a long time, she had never seen him look so worried and concerned.

Eventually the doors to the inner sanctum opened and Roylant appeared from the dark. "The Oracle will receive you now Doctor." Her eyes flicked again with disdain towards Martha. "The human female will stay here."

"Oi! The "human female" has a name! And if you think I'm just going to stand here then you've another think coming!" Martha snapped, her face flushed with indignation. She'd had just about enough of this woman's attitude. Roylant remained impassive during this outburst, clearly not impressed.

The Doctor turned to Martha, "Martha, I think we'd better do as they say." he said to her quietly.

"I'm not leaving you." Martha hissed at him.

"They aren't going to do anything to me, obviously they need me for something. I'll be back, I promise."

"You'd better."

"Aren't I always?" The Doctor flashed her one of his brilliant grins and strode towards First Attendant Roylant, following her through the doors. Martha watched him until his brown coattails were swallowed by the darkness and the doors shut with a soft thud. Left alone in the cavernous chamber she looked again to the faces of the statues and shivered.

...

The Doctor followed Roylant through dark hallways and half-lit chambers as they walked deeper into the temple. The same decorative stone followed through each room and their footsteps sounded loud in the tomb-like silence. The silence was not the only thing that reminded the Doctor of a tomb. Rubble had been swept into corners and half-repaired sections could be seen in the shadows. One hallway even sported metallic beams supporting a cracked ceiling.

"Been having some work done?" The Doctor asked loudly, his voice echoing slightly. Roylant ignored him, but he continued regardless. "I mean, cracks in the stone, piles of rubble, the state of the gardens. Not really in keeping with the grand traditions of Rilophrius is it?" She still ignored him, continuing to walk forward at a brisk pace.

"Come to that, where is everyone? That entrance chamber should have been full of people."

No response was forthcoming.

"The last time I was here, I was just a kid, well not a kid really, well only a 100 or so… Anyway, when I was here you could hardly move in that chamber for worshipers but now, like a tomb isn't it? Something's happened hasn't it? You said "matters have gone too far" Care to elaborate?...Explain?... Expound?"

Silence.

"No? Okay. Silence, I suppose is golden." Roylant appeared to agree and the Doctor finally lapsed into silence...

...

It had only been ten minutes or so but Martha was thoroughly creeped out. Night had completely fallen and the stain glass dome was shrouded in darkness. Only the most basic of features could be seen on the faces of the statues and the shadows gave them an eerie, evil quality. Standing next to the Doctor this sort of thing could be exciting, still creepy but exciting. Alone however was another matter. The doors had opened and shut several times to admit white robbed people but they went about their business with barely a glance in her direction. So it was no surprise that Martha nearly jumped out of her skin when a voice spoke.

"Madame?" The voice was male and deep although slightly rough, as though it didn't often speak. Martha whirled around looking for the source. With the vastness of the room, it could have come from anywhere. To her left footsteps tapped slowly on the stones as someone came towards her. She spun to face the owner, tensed to defend herself – and to scream the place down if necessary. A tall figure walked out of the shadows, hands up placatingly. He had thick brown hair, brushed off his forehead and curling slightly at his neck. His face was strong and handsome with a straight nose and a clean-shaven, firm jaw. Instead of white, he was dressed in deep red robes that swept around him but was cut with tailored sleeves, almost like a jacket. It appeared somewhat loose, as if it had been made for a heavier man. His dark brown eyes looked at her intensely and then crinkled slightly with confusion.

The man cleared his throat. "I apologise for frightening you, I seem to be unable to make contact."

Martha watched him warily. "Contact?"

"I cannot speak with you telepathically." The man explained. His voice was evening out now, like machinery that was finally being oiled.

Martha was unsure how to answer him. "I.. I'm not from here, I'm not a Rilophrian. I'm Human, from Earth." She tilted her chin up, defying him to be as dismissive as the priestess had been.

"Ah. That explains it. Again, I apologize." He inclined his head in a sort of bow. Although he wasn't smiling he was certainly being polite. Maybe smiling wasn't part of their culture, Martha thought. She was about to introduce herself when the man continued to speak in his awkward formal way.

"I must ask, the man you were with…he is the one who is known as The Doctor?"

Martha nodded, suspicious again.

"The Time Lord from Gallifrey…the last?"

Again Martha nodded, narrowing her eyes slightly. The man seemed relieved and emboldened by her response. He suddenly loomed closer, looking down at her with those penetrating dark eyes. He reached towards her.

"What sort of man is he? Can he be trusted? Will he help us?" The man asked in an urgent rush. Alarmed, Martha jerked away.

...

At the end of a long corridor, they finally came to a single polished metal door that seemed to glow in the darkness. Roylant stood aside and gestured silently for the Doctor to go through. Beyond the door lay a room shockingly at odds with the antiquated stone of the other chambers. Blue light flooded the space, gleaming off shiny metal and polished white stone carved into sweeping curves. The room appeared to be a perfect sphere. Three tiers of carved stone benches lined the white walls, the middle of the room sunken slightly, as if this was a very small amphitheatre. It was at this point that the Doctor became aware of a faint hum and realized he wasn't alone. In the first row of the benches, shrouded in white so their features could not be seen, several figures rocked gently back and forth.

As his eyes adjusted to the light change the Doctor began to make out the details of the light source in the centre of the room. Set in a polished silver dais, a glass cylinder rose up, ending halfway to the ceiling, capped by more silver filigree. The blue light was pouring in waves from the cylinder obscuring its interior. The Doctor shielded his eyes as he walked down the short flight of steps, however as he moved closer to the column, the light faded to a low glow, revealing a woman suspended in the cylinder. Vivid red hair drifted and curled above her, while her limbs floated, relaxed at her sides. As the Doctor studied her, he realized that 'woman' was not the correct answer, girl was more appropriate. She was young, not over twenty years old by human age. She was undeniably beautiful, with a well formed, slender body that was covered in a diaphanous shift that clung to her and wavered in the currents of the light. Her skin was smooth and unlined, so white it was like porcelain. The features were calm with no expression; eyelids with delicate blond lashes were closed.

The Doctor stood for a moment a couple of yards from the cylinder, scrutinizing this being and then the cylinder itself. He'd known that the Oracle often used a living host, but the elaborate setup was not as he recalled it.. He stepped closer to the centre of the room, just as the eyes snapped open revealing bright blue eyes that were filled with light.

_Doctor._

The voice didn't sound through his ears, instead it came right into his mind, past his usual telepathic defenses. It was neither male nor female, but vibrant nonetheless, raising the hairs on his skin.

_You have come_

"Not by choice." The Doctor said it out loud, refusing to co-operate fully. There was silence a moment, the humming from the shrouded figures stilling at his belligerent response. The girl was looking at him, or rather the Oracle was, the girl herself didn't appear to be there. Gentle vibrations could be seen inside the cylinder causing the emanating light to waver.

_Rilophrius needs your help._

The Doctor laughed harshly into the silence. "Ohh. That…that's just fantastic." The Doctor spat. "Where was Rilophrius when it was needed eh? Where was Rilophrius at the fall of Arcadia? At the last ride of the Taruans? Where was-" The Doctor snapped his mouth closed, overcome by emotion. He begun to pace like a caged tiger, his eyes blazing.

_It was not our war._

"Not your war!" The Doctor exploded, his voice echoing in the silence. "The Daleks were destroying the universe, civilization after civilization was falling in destruction and despair. All of the highest beings had a duty to stop them. You could have made a difference. You were our allies! Your technology with ours would have made a difference! The suffering and death, the horrific things bred in that war, Rilophrius could have prevented some of that. And you have the audacity to ask me – the last of my people – for help?"

_We did not destroy the Time Lords_. The voice held no emotion.

"Oh no you didn't did you? You left that to others….to me." His voice was raw and catching in his throat. He closed his eyes again, the guilt and the pain of that decision washing over him afresh. He took a ragged breath and came closer to the Oracle, looking into those light filled eyes.

"How could you possibly need me?" He hissed through clenched teeth. "You've always been so good at looking after your own." Again there was silence for a long time, the humming began again in the background, the figures resuming their rocking.

_There is a sickness. The people. The plants. The earth itself_.

Suddenly into the Doctor's mind seared images. Rotting animal carcasses; pale and weak people struggling to salvage rotting crops; the earth heaving and lava bubbling up to devour forests. Scientists, sickening themselves, worked over tests vainly trying to identify the source of the sickness. Rioting had broken out in cities, as fear and despair drove people to desperation. The Doctor flinched at the sharp emotions that came with the visions. He opened his eyes, trying to clear his head, his breath coming in short gasps. When he could speak again he eyed the host.

"This planet has more advanced technology than any other. How could your own scientists not even be able to identify the source? How could you, the life force of this planet not be able to identify it and fix it?"

_It is hidden. I cannot see. We cannot see_.

"What do you mean 'it is hidden?' Nothing's hidden from you, you're all seeing!"

_There_ _is darkness. I cannot see, cannot_-

Suddenly the body in the cylinder convulsed once and the humming stopped abruptly.

_Cannot_…_cannot_….

The voice began repeating over and over. The girl's body began to violently spasm and contort. Her back arched, eyes closing tightly, her mouth opening in a silent scream. The Doctor stepped forward with instinctive concern and then doubled over as he felt it. A scream. A ragged shriek of pain that filled his head, seemed to fill the room, the temple, the entire world. It invaded all the corners of his mind scouring pain filled paths. Around the room the white shrouded figures fell from their benches, clutching their heads. The light from the cylinder now blazed orange and hot. The girl continued to spasm, her hair whipping around her as if it had life of its own. As the Doctor fell to his knees, the room began to shake.

...

In the atrium, the man stepped hastily back from Martha, hands stiffly at his sides. "Forgive me." He said gaining control of himself, straightening his spine.

Martha stared at him. What was going on with these people? "What's wrong? Why do you need the Doctor?" She asked sharply, protective of the Doctor.

The man opened his mouth and then stopped, his eyes unfocusing. He raised a hand vaguely to his head. "I…" Then he groaned, curling inwards, both hands to his temples. Forgetting her mistrust, Martha rushed to him. The man fell to his knees, a low animal sound of pain rasping through clenched teeth.

"Someone! Help!" Martha shouted as she gently eased him to the ground. She looked around and saw with shock that everyone else in the room was in a similar condition. She continued to hold the man as he writhed in pain, trying to keep his head from hitting the ground. Then the room began to shake, dust sifting from above. Martha looked up, seeing all that glass above her. She looked around desperately and then began to haul the man away from the centre of the room, her adrenaline giving her strength to drag him across the stones.

Doorways, that's where you were supposed to go in an earthquake, she thought as she strained to pull the big man by the arm pits. The man was no help, writhing, his head now flung back and a raw yell coming from his mouth. The ground seemed to be shifting under her feet as she fought for purchase and new cracks opened in the flagstones.

As she cleared the scope of the stained glass oculus she could here the building splintering and groaning. Fragments of stone from one of the statues plummeted to the floor. The smashed stone turned into small projectiles scattering across the room. The glass began to shower down in small lethal shards. Martha collapsed against a doorway, shifting to shield the man from the flying debris. One arm around him and the other braced against the door jam, she closed her eyes and prayed for the Doctor.

...

"Doctor."

It stopped. The room was nearly black, only the faintest of glows coming from the glass cylinder. The Doctor opened his eyes, the silence ringing in his head. He was coated in dust, as was everything in the room, but otherwise there seemed to be little damage to the room. He thought he could hear someone calling him, but the ringing was making it difficult to concentrate. Martha, he thought, its Martha, I must get to Martha. Groaning, he put a hand on the dais and dragged himself to his feet.

"Doctor."

The Doctor looked up to the cylinder. She looked back at him, the glow brightening just enough so he could see her. She had a small white hand pressed to the surface of the glass. Her hair had calmed, floating as if in the gentlest of breezes. It was the girl looking at him now, the girl and not the Oracle.

"Doctor." She moved her lips to say his name, although he was still hearing her telepathically. "Please help us." Her voice was soft and so young.

He didn't answer, just looked at her with pity, wondering how long she had been in this case and how much longer she would serve.

"I am sorry." She said. He blinked, not expecting this. "There were those who wanted to help, who saw it as our duty. But it wasn't allowed, it wasn't safe."

The Doctor felt his anger surge again but it was stilled by the expression of angelic compassion on the girl's face.

"We should have helped, but the oracle is strong…I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." A tear traced down the Doctor's face as he listened to words he had said himself so often in the last few years.

"My people are dying, my plants, my animals…. my family." Her blue eyes were like liquid pools as they gazed into his. In his mind her sadness reverberated like the plucked string of a violin. "And I cannot do anything to help them."

He raised his hand to hers on the glass, "I don't know that I can help" He whispered.

"Please. Please try. It is much to ask of you, I know, but you can see what we cannot."

The Doctor bowed his head.

"Please."

From the depths of his soul the Doctor heaved a sigh and looked back to the girl, her sad eyes cutting through him. He nodded.

"Thank you."

Around the Doctor the white figures were moaning and beginning to get up, hands still pressed to their heads. At least one of them continued to lay still and lax on the floor. Other white robes were coming into the room now to help them.

"Doctor…" He looked back at the girl. Her voice seemed fainter now, drifting away. Her brow furrowed for a moment in concentration as if she wanted to tell him more but couldn't find the words.

"Yes?" The Doctor asked telepathically.

"The Oracle..." In his mind the voice was barely a whisper fading away leaving words unheard. Her hand slid off the glass and fell loosely to her side. The blue light poured through her eyes again and her body floated upward.

_Doctor, Rilophrius needs you_.

He looked at the blank, blue-lit eyes for a long moment, his face set. He nodded curtly, rising and striding from the room.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Alright, mate?" She asked, relieved that the man had regained consciousness. He nodded, wincing and pulling himself to his feet as she steadied him. Most of the other people in the atrium had climbed to their feet and were gently touching their heads or brushing themselves off. Others looked at the destruction with blank, wan faces.

"Thank you. You may have saved my life." The man said.

She smiled at him. "I'm Martha." She stuck out a hand. He looked at it perplexed.

"Er, that's how people introduce themselves, at least where I'm from."

"Ah!" He quickly extended his hand at the same height as hers but did not touch her fingers. "I am Councilor Danuel Epycul Maverrant." He then raised both of his hands to the side of his head palms facing her and briefly bowed his head with his eyes closed. He opened them and looked at her.

"That is how Rilophrians introduce themselves."

Martha could have sworn she could see a twinkle in his eye and a small twitch of his lips that may have been the beginnings of a smile. Grinning widely she copied the gesture.

"Martha!" The Doctor bounded into the room, deftly skirting the piles of rubble, his lanky frame quickly closing the distance between them.

He gave her a quick hug and then held her at arms length scrutinizing her. "All well? Legs and arms?" His eyes flicked up to her hair, a half grin lifting one corner of his mouth. "Hair?" He said, reaching up and tousling the mess, spraying dust around them. Grinning with relief, she swatted his hands away.

The Doctor's face became serious as he turned to the man watching them. "And who might you be?" he asked briskly, shoving his hands in his pockets. Normally Martha would have given him a poke for his rudeness, but considering his history with the planet, rudeness seemed the mildest of his possible emotions. The only reaction from the man was a slight arch of the eyebrows. Martha had a feeling that it had been a very long time since anyone had spoken to him like that.

"This is Councilor Mav - Maverrant." She said stumbling over the pronunciation. Danuel silently raised his hands as he had done with Martha. After a moment the Doctor did the same, also not speaking. They straightened and looked at each other. The air seemed thick with tension and Martha grew uncomfortable in the silence. The Doctor spoke first.

"I prefer the spoken word Councilor."

"As you wish Doctor. I have been instructed to assist you in anyway. As you can see we desperately need your help." He nodded towards the fresh destruction. "The atrium is not safe. We should leave." The Councilor said.

Martha looked at the room and agreed. The structure overhead creaked ominously and sections of the stained glass dangled. Stone dust continued to drift down. Martha looked back to eye level and was surprised to see that all of the people had straightened and were staring at them. No, not her and the Doctor, just the man. In silence they all nodded and began to file in an orderly fashion out of doors. It took her a moment to realize that the Councilor must have telepathically ordered them to evacuate.

They began to follow the procession out of the room. Out of the corner of her eye Martha saw something in a corner. A woman, dressed in the simple white shift like many of the workers huddled on the bare floor. She didn't seem to be breathing. Martha quickly crouched next to her but before her hand could touch the woman's bare shoulder, her wrist was gripped by a gentle hand.

"Don't touch her." The Doctor said.

"She needs help." Martha protested.

"No. She's gone." He responded softly.

"Every time, more do not wake up." The Councillor said blankly, standing over them.

The Doctor looked up at him. "You need to tell me what has been happening – every detail. I want to hear it from a person."

Councilor Maverrant nodded. "Come."

...

"It started a year ago."

The Councilor had led them down the stairs and onto the streets of the Cadifus, the capital city of Rilophrius. Here, as in the temple, damage from the quakes was visible and few people were on the streets. As Martha saw from the temple, the buildings were built of white stone, but close up they were not as clean and gleaming as they had seemed. Debris cluttered the alleyways and often they found themselves having to walk around piles of broken masonry and glass. Several buildings had collapsed, the shining roofs crushed inward amongst the stone. The streets were lit with a soft glow, although sinister shadows loomed unexpectedly from side streets. Martha looked around for the light source, confused until the Doctor had nudged her elbow and pointed up with a sudden lopsided grin. Hovering in the air white orbs emitted wavering, gentle light. However, now she knew where the shadows had come from. Some of the orbs lay smashed in the streets.

"It began simply enough. The crops did not seem to grow as they had in the past. Fish in the streams and lakes were not as plentiful. I am shamed to say we didn't really notice at first." The man paused to glance at them, ensuring they were keeping up. "We have always had the Oracle. When an imbalance seems to occur, it is simply the Oracle creating balance in other ways."

Martha frowned trying to understand this.

"Then the headaches started."

"Headaches?" The Doctor asked sharply.

"Slowly at first, we did not speak of it. But then everyone had them. Your headache would fade, only to feel the pain of someone else's. Sleep has become impossible." He stopped and looked curiously at the Doctor. "Do you not feel it Doctor? It never leaves now."

The Doctor nodded. "Yeah. I feel it." He shrugged. "Thought it was just being back here…when did the animals start to die?"

Maverrant turned and continued to walk, leading them now onto a wider thoroughfare that was once obviously very grand. "Roughly six cycles ago."

"Cycles?" Martha asked.

"Sort of like a month only longer." The Doctor explained.

"The farmers woke to find them dead in the fields. Any still alive were very weak. The crops, the trees began to sicken soon after. It was not long before the cities began to starve. Nothing has been heard from the some of the provinces for a month now. Cadifus has escaped the worst, but we are fading fast."

They had arrived at a large building, one of the few that was lit and had intact windows. Maverrant led them up simple stone steps and inside. The site that greeted them was all the more upsetting for its familiarity. Rows of palettes lay across the marbled floor of a once opulent assembly room. Meager belongings lay piled at the feet of the palettes. People milled about the room, clustering in groups or in a queue for small bowls of food. Only the children were making noise, talking or crying.

The Councilor led them through the building, passing rooms with similar scenes. At last, they came to what reminded Martha of a large ballroom, the sort she would have imagined from a fairy tale. However the scene inside was far from romantic. Pallets lay thick over the marble, every inch of floor space covered. Men and women, their eyes roving blankly around the room, lay on the makeshift beds. Caretakers moved tiredly between the still forms, looking pale and drawn. The silence was so oppressive it made Martha's skin crawl.

The Doctor crouched by one of the closest palettes, examining a woman curled on her side. He moved a black lock of hair from her blank face with a forefinger, sadness and pity filling his face. He reached into his coat and pulled out his glasses and the sonic screwdriver.

"How long do they stay like this?" He asked quietly. Putting on his glasses, he flicked on the screwdriver and played it over the still figure before him. Next to him Martha attempted to check the vital signs of another patient, noting the complete lack of response.

"It depends." Answered Maverrant. "Strength and good health seemed to help, but even the most vibrant are suddenly struck down. In general, this state can continue for several days before the life force ebbs completely. No one has recovered. After every earthquake more become like this or die."

The Doctor moved to another patient, adjusting the sonic screwdriver before continuing to scan. Martha let her eyes wander over the room, noticing for the first time that a large number of the palettes were shrouded and the forms underneath very still. Swallowing, she turned quickly to look up at Councilor Maverrant.

"What happens during the earthquakes? You seemed to be in a lot of pain." She added.

The Councilor frowned, his handsome face tired and drawn. "It is the world -the Oracle - in pain. She's….screaming and we feel her pain."

"I couldn't feel anything." Martha said confused.

The Doctor pocketed his screwdriver and stood up. "You don't want to." He said curtly.

Martha gaped at him for a moment. "You felt it to." She stated, silently wondering if this fate awaited him as well.

The Doctor seemed to read her thoughts. He reached over and squeezed her arm, looking intently into her eyes. "Martha, we are going to figure this out."

She nodded bravely.

"It is late." Maverrant stated. "If you will come with me, I will introduce you to the scientists we have left. I am sure you will have much to discuss. In the morning I will arrange for you to go anywhere you require."

"I'd like to get back to the temple and examine the Oracle and host." The Doctor said as they slowly left the ballroom. "I didn't get a chance to look at it properly, but that seemed like some pretty sophisticated equipment. The last time I saw the Oracle there was nothing like that." The trio walked through a door and into a dark courtyard that backed on to another small street.

"At that time one of the senior members of the clergy was used as the host. Not a young woman." The Doctor commented with more than a touch of accusation to his tone.

Maverrant paused at the edge of the street and met the Doctor's gaze with a carefully blank face. "I am afraid I do not have any knowledge of these matters. Admittance to the Oracle is very restricted, and completely controlled by the clergy. The scientists will answer your questions." For a moment, it looked as if the man was going to say more. Then he turned and continued down the street. "This way."

Martha and the Doctor glanced at each other before following Maverrant. "Is it just me, or was that just a fancy way of saying 'no comment' ?" Martha whispered.

"Hmm," The Doctor agreed, regarding the back of their guide thoughtfully.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The trio continued through the streets until they turned down a drive towards another white and green colonnaded house, aglow with light. Two outbuildings of similar design flanked the larger house, while a dry fountain stood in the centre of the court. Dead and dying vegetation surrounded the fountain. Men in red tunics worked to stabilize one of the large columns on the house, while others slowly cleared the collapsed portico of one of the outbuildings. As they approached, several of the men put down their tools and turned to greet the new arrivals.

"A moment please." Maverrant said briefly to the Doctor and Martha before hastening to the men. As he approached, an older woman with silver hair came quickly through the open doorway, a sleepy looking little girl in her arms. Relief washed over her face when she saw Maverrant. Martha watched Maverrant greet the woman and little girl by grasping their faces in his hands and touching his forehead to theirs. He took the little girl in his arms before turning to the men and inspecting the fresh damage. Not a word was spoken.

"I can't get used to the silence." Martha said, turning to the Doctor with a frown. She wrapped her arms around herself against more than just the night chill. "It's kind of creepy."

"If you could hear it Martha, this city is far from silent. It's deafening. But it's all in here." He tapped his temple with his index finger. "The Rilophrians have been using telepathy as their primary means of communication for over a thousand years. They see verbal communication as archaic at best and offensive at worst."

"But at the hospital the children were speaking."

"They might be born with the ability but it still takes practice. Think of it like learning to read. Some learn faster, some are better at it than others. As the kids grow up they speak less and less until they just stop. A lot of Rilophrian's even forget how. Now our Councilor here," He nodded towards Maverrant who was silently conferring with the workers. "He's a strong telepath, very strong. He'd have to be to get to his position. Same with the redoubtable First Attendant Roylant."

Martha pondered her first words with the Councilor. "Okay, so let me get this straight. If he's such a strong telepath, why can't he talk in my head? Plus he seems to be fairly articulate. A bit formal maybe but he hasn't forgotten how to talk."

"Martha he probably could invade your mind anytime he wanted. Most Rilophrians could." He turned to face her, launching into full lecture mode, using his hands to gesticulate. "See the human brain, that is most human brains, aren't evolved enough-"

Martha cocked an eyebrow.

"Yet, yet!" The Doctor added quickly with a grin. "They haven't evolved enough yet to use telepathy. A strong telepath can trigger the dormant parts of your brain by brute force, you wouldn't be able to respond but you could hear them. Problem is, it would take some tinkering with your brain, which would hurt and anyway its just plain rude, not to mention a penalty under the fifth order of the Shadow Proclamation. So the Councilor would have attempted to communicate telepathically but when he couldn't connect with you properly, he would have assumed that either you were another species or… err… brain damaged." The Doctor finished sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Really. Brain damaged." Martha was unimpressed.

"Yeah. 'Fraid so. Anyway Councilor Danuel Epycul Maverrant is pretty much one of the top political dogs. He was also trained to be an interplanetary diplomat, so he needs to be able to communicate in a variety of formats. He speaks several intergalactic languages and incidentally is a champion Wotchta player."

"Wotchta?" Martha crinkled her forehead in confusion.

"Yeah, it's this game with thirteen boards and you have to run between-"

"Hang on, when did you learn all this about him?"

"When he introduced himself. Kind of like a telepathic resume."

Fortunately, before Martha could get any more confused or frustrated, Maverrant approached them. The old woman and the little girl had gone back in the house and the workers had resumed their efforts.

"The house has suffered some damage in the latest quake, but the main quarters are safe. I have asked the scientists to meet with you, they are waiting." He paused, forcing a rusty if somewhat rueful smile. "I must apologize, usually I am able to offer." He searched for the right word to describe the Doctor and Martha's position. " ….guests a much more hospitable welcome. I have asked that some sustenance be prepared, I am sure you must be hungry and thirsty."

Martha and the Doctor thanked him and followed him into the house.

...

True to his word, Maverrant had gathered scientists and a meager amount of food in a large, richly furnished boardroom with murals of the ironically rich Rilophrian countryside painted on its walls. Introductions were made verbally and telepathically but Martha quickly found herself left out of the discussion as the most of the scientists would not or could not communicate orally. Martha watched bemused as the Doctor pored over holographic maps and blueprints presented on the glowing surface of the large table. Only gestures, stares and facial expressions indicated that a serious conversation and debate was going on.

Martha busied herself going over some medical reports of the victims and familiarizing herself a bit with Rilophrian anatomy. She must have dozed off as she jumped slightly when someone gently touched her shoulder. She looked up, startled, into Maverrant's serious face. In the background, the Doctor and other scientists were crowded around yet another holograph, the Doctor poking at it with his sonic screwdriver.

"Let me show you where you can sleep Martha. I think this will continue for a long time, the Doctor is being very…thorough." He said not unkindly.

"He is that." She agreed and stood up stretching. She caught the Doctor's eye and he winked at her briefly before directing his attention back to a small female scientist gesticulating violently at the holograph.

Maverrant led her through darkened corridors and onto a large verandah overlooking a landscaped lawn and small orchard. On the lawn cots with duvets and floating canopies with hanging linen were arranged.

"We have begun to sleep outside, for fear of the buildings collapsing." Maverrant explained. As they walked, he paused by one cot, gently pulling back the hangings. In the bed the little girl Martha had seen earlier slept fitfully, whimpering slightly in her sleep. Maverrant leant down and smoothed the dark brown hair from her face before tucking the duvet a little closer around her.

"Is she your daughter?" Martha asked as he stood up again.

For the first time, the politician's carefully blank face creased with emotion as he nodded.

"Matlena. Her mother was one of the earliest to succumb. I worry…" The force of his grief rasped in his voice. Worry lines deepened on his face and he seemed much older than his years.

Hesitantly, Martha touched his arm. "The Doctor will figure this out. You asked me if he could be trusted. I've trusted him with my life and he's never let me down. He'll do everything he can. And so will I."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Oi, Sleeping Beauty! Up and attem'!" The Doctor shook Martha out of her sleep.

She squinted up at him. Sunlight filtered through the sheer hangings, silhouetting the Doctor. He looked tired and stubbly but otherwise seemed filled with his usual energy.

"You can get yourself spruced up." He fished around in the neverending pockets of his big coat, eventually pulling out a wrapped toothbrush. "And then we're off."

"Off?" Martha took the Doctor's hand as he helped her up off the cot, trying to straighten her clothes and smooth her hair. This was one of the side effects of traveling with the Doctor: you end up sleeping in your clothes a lot and looking less than your best.

"Yup. I need to get into the Tardis to run some scans and tests to go with what I learned last night, and then I think we will be heading out to the country. Maverrant is arranging transportation."

"They're going to let us into the Tardis?" Martha asked surprised. "Aren't they worried we'll take off?"

The Doctor's expression darkened as they walked back to the house. "They'll only restore enough power to do the analysis." He said crisply.

After Martha had freshened up, Maverrant and one of the scientists from the night before escorted them to the temple. The city looked even more forlorn by day, the smashed glass and rubble-strewn streets stark under the harsh light of the double suns. The streets were not the only thing that seemed to suffer in the daylight. Maverrant looked even more haggard then he had the night before, bags heavy under his eyes. Instead of the stately robes he had been wearing the day before he now appeared to be dressed for the outdoors in a lightweight jacket and pants with rugged boots that reached to his knees. The scientist was similarly dressed.

Eyeing the boots, Martha turned to the Doctor "Are we in for a hike?"

"All of the data points to the cause of all the problems not being in any of the cities. They ran their own scans and did searches before things got really bad but they couldn't find anything. The Tardis should be able to help."

"With all this technology how is it they can't find it?" Martha asked.

"All of their technology has some kind of link with the Oracle. Sick oracle, sick technology. Did you notice the smashed lamps? The anti-grav. is done by the oracle and right now it can't support all of it."

Martha found the trek up the temple stairs a bit of a puff; however, the others seemed to find it even more of a trial. Maverrant and the scientist, a young petite woman with shoulder length brown hair, seemed particularly exhausted, breathing hard and stopping several times to rest.

Eventually, they reached the top and were met by First Attendant Roylant. A tension ladened silence reigned as they greeted one another telepathically. Even without words it was clear to Martha that there was no love lost between Maverrant and Roylant.

Unsurprisingly the Doctor was the first to break the silence. "Out loud First Attendant, if you please." He said dryly.

The priestess looked irritated but complied. "We will restore partial power to your Tardis. You will be supervised and accompanied at all times by members of the order."

Maverrant cleared his throat. "I hardly think that is necessary, First Attendant Roylant. Scientist Siruna," He indicated the uncomfortable looking woman next to him. "And myself will provide adequate supervision."

"Might I remind you Councilor that the machine is on the Temple Mount and therefore is under the jurisdiction of the Order of the Oracle."

Silence lapsed again as the two opposing sides continued the debate telepathically. Martha could swear that the air between the two crackled. The Doctor shook his head and took Martha's arm, beginning to walk to the Tardis.

"While you two bicker, Martha and I'll be in the Tardis, solving your problems." He said, over his shoulder. They came to the doors of the Tardis still guarded by the robed Priests. The Doctor fixed them with a stern look and eventually they stepped aside, although whether it was due to the Doctor or a wordless signal from their superior Martha was not sure.

The Tardis was dark and cold but lights on the console were slowly beginning to brighten. The Doctor scowled at his darkened home for a moment before giving himself a shake and striding to the console. The brainy specs went on, the sonic screw driver came out and he began to get to work, flicking switches on and off and muttering to himself. Martha turned as Siruna appeared hesitantly in the doorway. Beyond her Martha could see First Attendant Roylant sweep away in a huff leaving Maverrant gazing out over the city.

Martha smiled encouragingly at the scientist. "Come in." she said warmly. "Neat huh? Bigger on the inside and all." She said grinning as the woman gazed around the cavernous interior.

"Yes." The scientist answered barely speaking above a whisper. "I am familiar with the concept. I had a toy chest from Gallifrey when I was a little girl." She smiled shyly at Martha. "But this is a little more impressive."

"Ah! Scientist Siruna!" The Doctor called out without looking up from the monitor screen. "Come have a look-see!"

"I've uploaded the data from my sonic screwdriver." He explained as the two women joined him. Images and maps were shifting rapidly on the console screen before them. "The Tardis should be able to take the analysis just that bit farther and…. YES!" He shouted as a single image fixed on the screen displaying a flashing beacon. "There it is! The epicenter, the nub, the fly in the-"

"Doctor."

"Ahem, yes anyway there it is. That's what roughly a 160 miles northwest of here?"

The scientist sighed. "Yes in the mountains. So close. We should have been able to detect this."

"Ah well don't beat yourself up about it, the old girl here is rather special." He patted the console.

"Only one thing to say," He grinned. "Allons-y!"


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The air shuttle may be comfortable, Martha reflected, as she nestled back into plush seats, but the ride itself: not so much. Rather than the smooth, weightless glide she had expected, the craft dipped and rattled as the scenery flashed past the tinted windows. After the first several unexpected drops in altitude, Maverrant, looking a bit green himself, apologized for the roughness of the ride, explaining that the vehicle was not meant for travel within the atmosphere. They were lucky enough to get the vehicles they did, as not many were left functioning. The shuttle they were riding in was black and imposing, the love child of a tank and a stretched limo, while the other trailing them was much less luxurious and carried the sundry equipment they had gathered for the venture.

The Doctor seemed to be the only one who wasn't affected by the erratic motion. He had activated the holographic display in the centre of the circle of seats and was scanning topographic displays.

"The centre point for the disturbance is here." He said pointing to a pulsing point on the shimmering display. "See the landscape in this area, completely barren, all the vegetation is dead."

"But those mountains have been like that for as long as any of us can remember." Siruna said frowning. Maverrant nodded in agreement.

"Its like a tumour, something small growing and growing." The Doctor made expansive motions with his hands. "It's probably been there for decades, centuries maybe. Only now it's turned malignant. By the time you knew you should be looking for it, the Oracle was so damaged, you couldn't find it." The Doctor frowned letting out a tired sigh, rubbing the back of his neck while pointing at the hologram with his glasses. "The thing I don't get -and that's pretty rare- is why didn't the Oracle do something about it in the beginning? It should have been able to isolate, and repair this, or at least tell you about it."

No one had an answer and they spent the rest of the journey immersed in their own thoughts.

After what seemed to Martha to be roughly two hours, the crafts settled on a level promontory half way up the craggy mountains, hovering and vibrating a foot above the gravelly ground.

"We will have to climb from here." Maverrant said. "The drivers are not sure the shuttles can handle a higher altitude."

They disembarked and began to distribute equipment amongst themselves and the handful of men and women who accompanied them. The Doctor led the way, using the sonic screwdriver as a guide and they began to clamber upwards. The environment reminded Martha of a quarry, all barren rock and harsh sun. The land stretched out below them barren up to a dusty smudge of trees in the distance. A chill wind dashed rock dust in their eyes and cut through their clothes.

The further they climbed the more the Rilophrians weakened, their movements were becoming painfully slow and beads of sweat shone on their ashen faces despite the chill. As Martha caught up with the Doctor she could see that he too was looking far from his best.

"Doctor, I don't know if they're going to make it." Martha gestured to the trailing group behind them.

The Doctor nodded. "The closer we get to it, the worse it will be." He looked at the sonic screwdriver and scanned the rocky horizon. "But...we should be right on top of it actually…" He rubbed his eyes and began to pace around, holding the screwdriver out like a divining rod. The Rilophrians straggled up to them, many of them simply collapsing against the boulders that littered the steep landscape. Martha could see that some were holding their heads, rubbing at their temples.

"Right on top of it, oh I am so thick! Its got to be under us!" The Doctor exploded with frustration. "Look for an opening." Martha began scanning the ground around them, wearily joined by others. Suddenly, Siruna who was standing next to Martha, stiffened and began to curl inwards, clutching at her head, mouth open in pain. Looking around Martha could see that others were beginning to do the same.

"Doctor!" Martha shouted. He turned, seeing what was happening. "Martha, its happening again, you must -" He managed to say before he to doubled over, eyes squeezed shut and teeth gritted, his snarl of pain joining the others.

Martha rushed to catch him as he began to pitch forward but the sudden spasming of the ground beneath her feet knocked her down as well. Stone rumbled around them, beginning to roll down the slope. Helpless to protect everyone, Martha crawled to the Doctor, trying to pull him behind a large ridge of stone, one arm covering his head. Through the agitations and the dust, Martha could see the avalanche of stone sweep away some of the Rilophrians, their bodies' small amongst the rocky debris. Martha squeezed her eyes shut and she struggled to hold the Doctor, his thin frame shaking and bucking as he screamed, headless of the stones that bounced around them.

Again the shaking subsided, although the loosened rock continued to shift and scatter around them. The Doctor was still in her arms but he was still now, his eyes closed.

"Doctor?" She shook him gently, panic mounting as he failed to respond.

"Doctor!" She shook him harder, tears cutting through the dust on her face as he remained limp in her arms.

"No! Don't do this! Not now! Doctor!" She was shouting now, on her knees, shaking hands searching for vital signs.

"My but you can shout." He croaked, blinking open dust encrusted eyes. Martha gasped and hugged him with relief as he weakly hugged her back.

"Alright now, alright." He said patting her back and pulling himself into a sitting position. The scene before them was not encouraging. Only a handful of the Rilophrians were present and of those, only Maverrant and another man and woman seemed to be relatively unscathed. Most of their equipment was missing or ruined. Maverrant, blood trickling from a cut across his right cheekbone, had climbed to his feet and appeared to be listening. Suddenly he began scrabbling at a pile of loose stone further to his left and was promptly joined by the remaining Rilophrians. Martha joined them in time to see them uncover the scientist Siruna, alive but her face grey face twisted in pain. Her lower body was pinned by a cluster of larger boulders.

"We need a lever!" Martha shouted, beginning to search the debris for anything useable. She turned back and was surprised to see the three Rilophrians holding hands, forming a circle around the stricken scientist. Their eyes closed as they hummed in unison. Martha, frustrated at this seeming inaction was about to interrupt when the Doctor caught his arm and shook his head, gently pulling her away.

"But they aren't doing anything, she's alive, we can get her out."

"Martha, they know what they are doing - combined mind power - best leave them to it. Come look at this. Come on." He gently pulled her arm again as she continued to stare at the trio over her shoulder. The Doctor pulled her further up the slope, not far from where she had sheltered during the earthquake. Behind them boulders began to gently shift within the circle of Rilophrians.

"Look."

Martha followed The Doctor's outstretched hand and saw that a cave into the mountain was now exposed.

...

Martha and the Doctor gathered what equipment they could before leaving the Rilophrians. Some of the boulders had been removed from Siruna, but she was still not free and Maverrant and the others seemed barely able to stand. Again when she questioned leaving them, the Doctor assured her they were best left. Maverrant gave them a weary nod as they trekked up to the cave.

The interior of the cave was cramped and dark as Martha and the Doctor made their way inside, the sonic screwdriver guiding them. The light shone by their headlamps bounced off the rocks, creating even deeper shadows. Slowly they edged and wiggled around obstacles, keeping a look out for drops.

They had been climbing slowly through the tunnels of the cave for almost an hour and the Doctor had been growing consistently weaker. Gasping in pain, the Doctor paused, gripping the rough surface of the walls and gritting his teeth.

"My head." He gasped. "Fire… screaming…it's close." He gripped Martha's outstretched hand. "Martha.. I don't know how much farther I can go… I'm going to need you…need you to see what it is. Go!" He pressed the sonic screwdriver into her hand, rolling on his side.

Martha took a deep breath, "Okay, I won't be long." She continued to wriggle forward, leaving the Doctor slumped in a cleft in the wall of the cave. Ahead of her the tunnel began to widen and before long she was able to get to her feet again and walk cautiously forward. After a few minutes she halted abruptly, staring forwards into the darkness. But it was dark, for a moment a warm glow seemed to fade upwards behind the rock formations. Just as suddenly it was gone, the only light the spotlight of her headlamp. Frowning she stayed where she was wondering if she had imagined it. Again the light flared and this time she hurried towards it, coming around a slight bend. Below her, the glow emanated through a small fissure between two gigantic slabs of rock.

The crevice was narrow but she was slim enough to fit through, and warily she poked her head in to take a look. She was looking down into a wide cavern spreading out below the crack, with stalactites and stalagmites spiking the surfaces, water trickling over the floor. From the bottom of the cavern an orange light pulsed outwards, bathing the space in the same glow she had seen in the tunnel. Slowly she eased through, climbing and partly sliding her way down. Again the light pulsed and now at the bottom of the cavern she could see that the light was coming out of some of the stalagmites that covered the floor. Reaching out a hand to one of the largest, she was shocked to feel a warmth and gentle vibration coming from it. As the orange light pulsed again she could see internal patterns inside the stalagmite, straight lines and jagged pieces. Looking at another nearby she could see it was the same.

"Crack one. I need to be sure" The Doctor's voice, an echoy rasp came from above. He had crawled to edge of the opening and was staring down at her. She opened her pack and pulled out a geological hammer. Moving back to the largest stalagmite she gave it a sharp thwack. Shielding her eyes from the fragments flying off, she continued to hit it. Large pieces began to shed off the object, landing at her feet revealing machinery beneath. The light pulsed again and this time, Martha could see it clearly. Orange tendrils curled out towards her and into the air beyond

"It's a Tardis." The Doctor pronounced grimly his voice echoing slightly in the cavernous space.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Martha looked up at the Doctor, his pained face dimly lit by the glow, then turned back to the machinery before her. The strange metallic coils and panels looked nothing like the Doctor's Tardis to her, but as she squinted at it she could make out faint circular symbols etched into the metal. The writing of the Time Lords, he had told her when she had asked about the drawings she had seen on the Tardis console.

"How co-" Martha began to ask, but the Doctor cut her off.

"Martha…I can't…you have to listen and do exactly what I say." His voice was getting weaker. "You need them open, all of them….and the sonic screwdriver…." Martha peered up into the gloom and could see the Doctor's eyes shutting, his head beginning to sag.

"Doctor!" her voice echoed through out the room and she hurried over the edge of the slope. He opened his eyes again and looked at her blearily.

"My head…." he mumbled but then his eyes seemed to sharpen again as he fought for focus. "The screwdriver…the second and third buttons together three times…to deactivate them, to neutralize the flow, go to each piece. That will help…then…burn…burn it all."

Martha wasted no time. Flinging down her bag, she ran to the nearest lump of stone and began hacking at it, revealing more and more glowing machinery. As the tendrils of light reached her, Martha's eyes began to ache and her ears buzzed, but she didn't stop. Smashing and smashing at the stalagmites, she ignored the chips of stone that cut her skin and barely paused before moving to the next one.

Finishing the last one she dropped the hammer and took the screwdriver from her pocket, her shaking hands dropping it on the damp ground. Forcing herself to take a breath she picked it up and carefully positioned her fingers on the buttons. The Doctor had long since slipped into unconsciousness; it was up to her to fix this.

She walked up to the closest pieces of twisted metal, eyes squinting against the light. She pressed the buttons as he had instructed. One. Two. Three….nothing happened. Panic rising, Martha looked down at the screwdriver.

"Oh God, no." She whispered. What if it had gotten wet, would that damage it? She turned it over and over in her hands, forcing herself to be calm. Then, she noticed it was darker. Looking up she saw that the piece in front of her no longer emitted light. It faintly glowed but the streams of orange light were gone. Gaining confidence Martha raced to the next piece and the next, repeating the procedure again.

As the last piece of the shattered Tardis was deactivated, the cavern plunged into near darkness, only the headlamp lit her way. Looking up she could just make out the Doctor, still unconscious. She made her way over to her pack and began to rummage through it. After pulling out a myriad of now useless tools she found what she'd been looking for. Nubrian fire starters and good old fashioned Earth road flares. She'd picked up the small clear cones in a market on Trius 3 while getting a birthday present for Trish. The funny little alien at the booth had promised her they'd burn long and hot enough to keep a small village warm. She hoped he was right.

Working quickly, Martha began to place the cones at strategic places amongst the broken machinery, crumbling some over the tops of the pieces. She shoveled the rest of the items back in the bag, putting the flares on top. She surveyed her handiwork with grim satisfaction. She would get back to the Doctor move him away from the edge and then toss the lit flares down.

However, getting back out was not so easy. For every three steps up she was sliding back two. The slick, smooth rock provided little handholds and her hands, cut from the rock and numb with exhaustion, could not seem to grip anything. The light on her helmet bounced around the rock face illuminating little that was useful. Angrily she wiped the tears of frustration from her dirty cheeks and struck out again her hands straining for a solid bit of stone near the top. Just as her feet began to slip off their perch, the Doctor's hand reached down and griped her wrist, giving her enough support to lever herself up the remaining couple of feet.

Landing with an ungraceful flop mostly on top of him, Martha gulped in lungfuls of the close air. The Doctor too breathed deeply. He still looked unwell but he seemed able to focus on her and was sitting up.

"Thanks." She managed.

"Don't mention it" He gasped in reply.

"Feeling better?"

"Yeah, some…Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

They grinned at each other for a moment before Martha groaned and pulled herself to sitting.

"I did what you said, all the pieces are turned off, and I've got a bunch of Nubrian fire starters all over the place ready to go. And I've got these," she pulled the flares from her bag, "to light them."

"Martha Jones you are amazing." The Doctor said with pride and admiration. Taking care to shield her eyes, Martha lit the flares and was about to toss them down when the Doctor put his hand on her arm, gingerly getting on his knees.

"May I?" He asked and taking them from her tossed them down into the cavern. The scattered cones lit almost instantly, green flame leaping up. For a long while The Doctor watched as the fire licked and began to consume the wreckage of the lost Tardis, only turning away when the heat became unbearable.

...

"How could it have ended up there?" Martha asked as they each drank water and caught their breath. The treck back out of the cave had taken its toll on both of them, they had barely made it out before the fire had sucked most of the oxygen out of the tunnels. Maverrant and the others were gone, apparently having freed Siruna and retreated to the vehicles.

"It must have crashed. Those symbols….it was a battle Tardis designed during the Time War." The Doctors voice was as bleak and his eyes hollow.

"At the end….when I…finished it, the time lock was suddenly opened. Very little was left but what there was…."

"Came down." Martha finished quietly.

The Doctor nodded. "It would have fallen through time and space, damaged and crippled. Most Tardis are programmed to return to Gallifrey if they are severely damaged. Gallifrey was gone so its poor confused guidance system would have aimed for the next closest planet."

"What about the Time Lords on board? They might have survived, regenerated!" Martha asked hopefully but the Doctor only shook his head sadly.

"No Martha if they were still alive when it crashed, they wouldn't have survived it, and a Time Lord needs a bit of time to regenerate. If they were alive I'd know. I'd feel it." The Doctor stared silently at the view for a moment then cleared his throat. Martha could hear the effort it cost him to continue speaking.

"The wreckage has been there for a long time. The Oracle must have tried to isolate the pieces, kind of like the human body calcifies a intrusive object. It seems to have worked for a while but eventually the pieces began to leak Huon particles and vortex energy into the underground springs, making a toxic soup.

"Like poison through veins." Martha suggested. The Doctor nodded and sat in silence. Below them a figure was beginning to move up the hillside towards them. The Doctor shifted on his stone and turned to her.

"Thank you Martha. You did what I should have done. This was my responsibility, the legacy of the Time Lords." He said bitterly. "No matter what the Rilophrians did or didn't do, they didn't deserve this. No people do." He finished quietly. Martha slipped her arm around his and put her head on his shoulder, knowing there was nothing she could say.

Eventually Maverrant came into view, his handsome face still dusty and bloodied. "Doctor! Martha! I am relieved you are well. You had been gone so long I feared the worse. We have sustained injuries and casualties but I can provide some help now if needed. Were you able to locate the source? Can you cure it?"

The Doctor nodded, wearily climbing to his feet. "Yes Maverrant we found it. It was a crashed Tardis, from the end of the Time War. It was poisoning the groundwater. We've dealt with it. It will take time but the land and people will heal. The headaches should begin to fade very soon." The Doctor paused and then looked the councilor in the eye. "I am sorry. For everything this has brought you and your people."

Maverrant stared at the Doctor, stunned. Eventually he nodded slowly, turning from them.

"Come. We should return to the capital." He said expressionlessly, beginning the treck back down the slope. After a moment, the Doctor and Martha followed him.

...

The cargo shuttle was now filled with the recovered remains of the Rilophrians who had perished on the slope. Siruna was stretched out on back seat of the black shuttle, face pinched in pain even in her deep sleep. Most of the Rilophrian's apart from the driver and Maverrant were also dozing and Martha herself was beginning to drift off as the shuttle scudded through the air towards Cadifus.

Maverrant and the Doctor were gazing out opposite windows each lost in their own thoughts. Suddenly Maverrant turned to the Doctor.

"Doctor." He began quietly but urgently. "I cannot be at peace with myself if I do not say this."

Martha sat up fully alert ready to defend her Doctor if necessary. The Doctor turned wearily to the man also seeming to expect reproach.

Maverrant took a deep breath and sat up straighter. "On behalf of all Rilophrians I thank you. I have been searching my soul and I do not know if I could have acted as selflessly as you have given the circumstances." Maverrant smiled slightly at both of them. "Unlike the clerics I am not foolish enough to believe that we could have kept you here had you really determined to leave. Especially after you saw how weak we were." Maverrant paused as the Doctor, to Martha's surprise nodded slightly in confirmation.

The councilor continued. "I would also, on behalf of every Rilophrian like to extend my deepest apologies and sorrow to you. What our planet did was tantamount to a betrayal. Fighting against tyranny alongside our friends and allies should have been our duty and honour. To lose one's planet, one's people… I can only compare your grief to my own and it is nearly unbearable." The councilor lapsed into silence, having difficulty meeting the Doctor's eye.

The Doctor remained perfectly still his eyes locked on the man. Eventually Maverrant raised his eyes again to the Doctor's. They stared at one another for a long moment, communicating silently, before the Doctor raised both hands palm outwards to the side of his head, closed his eyes and bowed slightly. Maverrant did the same holding the posture for a moment before relaxing. The Doctor also relaxed and leant back in his seat. However, after a short pause, he leant back forward , elbows on knees fingers laced in front of him.

"You know, funny thing about me, when I don't understand something it bothers me, because I usually understand everything. So tell me Maverrant the last time I was on this planet, oh so long ago, just about Martha's age, you lot were into all sorts of interstellar travel, sat on the boards and councils of the Shadow Proclamation, traded with practically everybody and then it all just stopped, what happened?"

Maverrant blinked in surprise at the Doctor's sudden change in tack. "Rilophrius has been isolationist for several generations. No Rilophrian has sat on the council of the Shadow Proclamation for at least four generations." Maverrant paused frowning and thinking.

"I know this is perhaps cold comfort," He began again quietly. "But please know that the decision to remain neutral in the war was by no means a unanimous one. Many including my own great grandparents were appalled at the Oracle's decision and opposed it. They were silenced and punished for their disobedience, prevented from even leaving the planet or communicating with Gallifrey. It has taken my family these past generations to rise again."

"Since when did the Oracle control the people like that? It had always guided and protected the planet and its people but it didn't oppress them. You always had freewill." The Doctor protested.

Maverrant however was shaking his head, warming to the conversation as he carried on more forcefully. "This history you speak of is one that has not existed for over a hundred years. Even before the Time War, the Oracle had begun to change. It gave the clergy more power, it began to control more elements of society. The Oracle began to issue planet wide edicts enforcing codes of behaviour. All cultural differences were to be eliminated. Deviant behaviour was instantly curbed. As these came instructions came from the Oracle the population accepted this, some even embraced it.

At the same time the Oracle determined our planet needed to protect itself from outsiders. Visiting traders, diplomats were to be expelled. Trading and diplomatic contact is now highly regulated, planetary immigration and emigration is strictly forbidden, in fact most of the technology to do so was destroyed. And the clergy, are in almost complete control of the planet, sanctioned and supported by the Oracle." Maverrant was sneering now in derisive anger, his face more animated then Martha had seen it.

"To be frank it is only the strength of my telepathic abilities which has protected me. The clergy has been eroding the position of Councilor for years now, effectively reducing it to a ceremonial title and nothing more."

Silence rang in the small shuttle. Martha and the Doctor looked at Maverrant in surprise at the flood of pent up frustration and anger. The other Rilophrians in the shuttle were also staring at him in shock and alarm as he voiced what was essentially heresy and treason combined.

"When did the practice of using a host change? The young woman I saw couldn't have been more then twenty, she was held in a transference tank, almost in suspended animation." The Doctor asked.

As Maverrant opened his mouth to speak one of the younger male Rilophrian reached over and grabbed his arm, shaking his head. Maverrant shook him off, his eyes blazing as they argued mentally. The atmosphere in the shuttle had become thick and hot and even Martha could feel the disturbance, like a pressure on her brain. Eventually the younger man shrank back. The others were pressed back against their seats as if they feared Maverrant was contagious.

"As far as I know a permanent host has been in use since the Order of the Oracle began to grow in power. They take them from their families when they are about five years old. Always specially selected girls from families with high telepathic abilities. They tell us it is an honour that they will be trained to be of use to the Oracle, to serve in the Order." He was silent for a moment, bitterly seething. "Honour doesn't replace a daughter, honour cannot fill that void. When they took my sister my mother cried. _Out loud._ I had never heard her utter a single syllable out loud before that and I will never, ever forget that sound."

Martha thought of the little girl she had seen at the Councillor's home.

"Your daughter's almost five." She said softly. Maverrant nodded grimly.

"I will be damned before they take my daughter. The Clergy and the Oracle have this world in a clamp, they have stilted our technology, stifled our people. This crisis could have been prevented had we been able to detect this, had the Oracle not restricted access to science and information. If the Oracle had allowed contact with the Shadow Proclamation, they could have helped, lives could have been saved. They only contacted you when there was no choice." Martha could feel the waves of anger and grief pouring out of him.

"All my family, all this planet has suffered can be brought to the Oracle's door." He spat. Silence rang in the shuttle at the impact of his words. The Rilophrians squirmed and tried to edge even further from him, as if waiting for him to be struck down where he sat.

After a moment the Doctor slid forward on his seat, elbows on knees and fingers laced, regarding Maverrant with a serious expression. "Maverrant, I give you my word that I will get to the bottom of this. Something is very wrong here. I was able to find the location of the crash easily and the Tardis's technology is at least around the same vintage as yours. But I don't think it's quite that simple. You're right the Oracle should have been able to prevent this, but it told me it couldn't see, that it was hidden."

"But how can that be? Isn't the Oracle omniscient?" asked Martha.

Both the Doctor and Maverrant nodded. "It is. So what's gone wrong? I need to see the transference tank, in detail. Is that going to be possible?" The Doctor asked.

Maverrant nodded grimly. "I'll make sure of it."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Maverrant directed the shuttles to take them straight to the Temple mount, before taking Siruna and the others to one of the makeshift hospitals. Stepping from the vehicle, Martha was surprised no one met them. In fact no one at all could be seen around the temple, the area seemed deserted.

"Hmmm," said the Doctor aloud. "Something's wrong."

Maverrant, the Doctor and Martha walked briskly up the short set of stairs to the Temple. One of the massive doorways was lopsided now as a result of the most recent earthquake and they had to edge their way around it. Inside, unfiltered light through the oculus highlighted the ruined state of the place. As Martha looked around the empty antechamber she began to feel odd. A low vibration seemed to be coming up through the floor. As it throbbed she could feel her stomach tightening with nausea. The room seemed to gently shudder from it, wafting more dust from above.

Before she could ask what the vibration was from, Maverrant was setting off quickly across the floor and into the inner chambers of the temple. The followed him through a maze of empty corridors, the ever present vibration seeming to thud out of the very stones. At various doorways they would find scared looking guards. No words were ever spoken but any resistence to their progress was mentally batted away by Maverrant and the white robbed guards shrank from him like kicked dogs. At last Maverrant pushed through a set of metal doors into a room so bright it blinded Martha after the gloom of the previous hallways. Only the Doctor moved forward, both Maverrant and Martha stopped in the doorway to take in the scene in awe.

Martha could only take in an impression of white roundness and gleaming metal reflecting the orange glow of what appeared to be a rapidly pulsating flame in the middle of a silver dais. As Martha's eyes adjusted she became aware of silent but nonetheless frantic activity going on in the room. White shrouded figures around the room appeared to be convulsing in their seats, shaking in time with the pulsations. Just visible against the orange light, people in white robes appeared to be fussing and hovering around the dais. Other people in white shifts seemed to be rushing around with no apparent purpose. Through it all the vibration was audible and almost painfully intense. Martha found she had to concentrate to keep her eyesight from blurring. Squinting at the orange glow she noticed for the first time a humanoid figure in its heart. That must be the host, and I don't need to be telepathic to know that something is really not right here, she thought.

The Doctor had rushed down towards the dais, shoving aside startled clerics. In his mind the vibration, the frenzied chanting of the acolytes and panicked babbling of the technicians created a cacophony of noise. In the transference tank, orange tendrils of fiery light corkscrewed ferociously, nearly obscuring the girl inside. Her blue eyes were rolled back in her head and she shook and shuddered in quick convulsions, her red hair coiling around her like maddened snakes. The filigreed silver of the base of the dais was cracked and pulled aside revealing a tangle of smoking wires that a collection of technicians were desperately trying to repair.

"Move!" The Doctor shouted aloud, putting on his sonic screwdriver and glasses. He crouched down to get a look at the hardware, but stopped as a steel grip descended on his shoulder.

"Time Lord, this is no place for you!" First Attendant Roylant hissed telepathically, a snarl on her usually cold face. The day had not been kind to her. Her hair had come partially loose of its bindings and loose strands waved around her haggard face. Her white robes were disarranged and dirt smudged.

"Roylant, this transference tank is damaged you need to shut it off!" The Doctor shouted back in her face. "Let me help, you know as well as I do what will happen if you can't fix it!"

"This is not your affair! Our technicians will fix the machine." Roylant returned aloud, not realizing that most of the technicians and acolytes had begun to flee.

"Look at those readings, Roylant!" The Doctor gestured towards the instrument panel below. "The machine can't contain the Oracle anymore. You never should have tried to in the first place!"

"The machine is necessary; it makes order out of the chaos. It makes the Oracle's actions clear. It allows us to understand her plan, to interpret her meaning for the people. " Roylant retorted.

Martha and Maverrant had reached the dais and had been staring in horror at the shuddering form of the young woman in the light. However, at Roylant's words Maverrant rounded on her, fists in tight balls at his sides.

"Her plan? Or the Order's plan? You built the machine. You interpret the message!" He shouted with venom in every word.

"For the good of Rilophrius! To protect the purity of this world, to protect its people, this has always been the way of the Oracle, we only defined it, acted on it."

The two lapsed into silence as they continued their increasingly vicious argument telepathically. Martha cringed from them as they continued to gesture in sharp stabs, moving around one another like circling wolves. Between this and the transference tank's throbs of power, her skin was crawling and her brain felt like it was trying to leak out her nose. She crouched next to the Doctor who was ignoring the argument and continuing his examination of the machine.

"Can we get her out of there Doctor?" She asked looking up again at the tortured figure of the girl.

The Doctor glanced up quickly at the tank and the back down, his tapered figures moving over the wiring. "The earthquakes must have damaged it. It can't hold the Oracle anymore and now its overloading. Its held her back all these years, held her in check, forced her to work through a host and the acolytes. That's why it couldn't see the crashed Tardis, the machine limited the Oracle's abilities. If we can't free the Oracle, not only will the host die, but half of Rilophrius will blow up with the force of the explosion."

"An off switch? A plug?" Martha asked in desperation.

"Fried of course " He flicked a melted patch of metal and wires with the screwdriver. "But..." He reached in and yanked some wires, switching a few things around and securing them with a blast from the sonic.

The Doctor got to his feet. "Martha, take cover."

Martha didn't ask questions, she quickly ducked behind the closest row of benches. The Doctor stepped back and raised his sonic to the dais. Seeing him Roylant turned and reached out to him, her telepathic "NO!" echoing in his head as he activated a dense sonic blast at the tank.

Only a crack had appeared in the tank's clear housing before Roylant slapped the screwdriver from his hand, but that was enough. A spider web of cracks spread across the glass before bursting in an avalanche of light and sound. The Doctor and Roylant just had time to duck before they were shunted across the floor in a tangled heap. The young woman inside the tank hurtled out on the waves of orange light and collided into Maverrant, sliding them into the surrounding benches. The orange light spread to all corner's of the room, highlighting the veins on Martha's eyelids as she shut them tightly and huddled against the onslaught. Just as suddenly the light seemed to suck back towards the machine, although the ominous vibrations didn't stop.

Martha got shakily up from her hiding place to assess the situation. Across the room the Doctor was disentangling himself from an unconscious Roylant. Maverrant looked ill but was weakly cradling the young woman, her long red hair spilled in a tangled mess over his arm. Martha crawled towards them and began checking for vital signs, remembering belatedly the basics of Rilophrian physiology she had learnt only yesterday. The woman was no longer convulsing and didn't appear to be breathing or have a discernable pulse. Unceremoniously pushing Maverrant out of the way Martha began CPR, adjusting for the two hearts, as she had once done with the Doctor. Letting her training take over she worked on the woman's frail body for what felt like an age before a faint heartbeat, a few ragged breaths and a fluttering of sky blue eyes rewarded her.

It was only now that Martha realized that the Doctor was back at the machine. If anything the vibrations were getting worse, the whole room had begun to shake and the orange light was stirring again in the remains of the tank.

"Doctor! Isn't it over?" Martha shouted over the throbbing noise.

The Doctor shook his head, calmly putting his sonic screwdriver and glasses back in his jacket. "The Oracle still needs a host to pass through now that the machine is destroyed. The girl wasn't strong enough anymore."

"Then what do we do?" Martha began to ask, but suddenly she knew. She knew by the way he looked at her, how he seemed to be unconsciously straightening his coat and standing up straighter.

"No! No!" She shouted, starting to stagger to him but losing balance and falling heavily.

"It will be alright. Martha, don't be afraid." He said. She could barely hear him now and through tears watched as he stepped over the shattered edges of the housing and into the machine.

Again the orange light flared and arced. It channeled directly upwards, through the thin figure standing with his back arched, head, and arms thrown back. The brown coat whipped around him its edges catching fire and charring. The light burnt through the ceiling, melting the stone to a bubbling hole and then drove upwards into the planet's atmosphere where is began to spread like a golden aurora. The violent eruption lasted a few more moments before all the light vanished with a hiss and a sizzle. All that was left was the Doctor, collapsed on the dais, hair and clothing smoking gently.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Martha stood at a round paned window looking over the yard behind Councilor Maverrant's house. In the light of the setting suns, workers were packing up the last of the canopied cots and moving things back inside now that the earthquakes had stopped. Over the past few days, Martha had been making herself useful by volunteering at the hospitals and shelters. Today had been a good day at the hospital; the first comatose patient woke up. He was confused and seemed to be presenting memory loss approaching amnesia but it was undoubtedly an improvement. She was rapidly learning more about Rilophrian medicine, essentially on her way to becoming the first human poly-species doctor. She smiled at the thought, what would her supervisors back at Royal Hope make of that?

While the damage would take a long time to repair and the suffering would never be forgotten, signs of life were returning to Cadifus. Now that the debilitating headaches were gone, the citizens were throwing themselves into the recovery activities with hope and vigour. In a remarkably short space of time the once silent city had begun to ring with the noise of reconstruction as work gangs began a systematic clean up and inspection of the city.

Much of this renewed activity was due to the efforts of Councilor Maverrant. With the destruction of the transference tank and the extensive damage to the temple, the Order of the Oracle had been thrown into disarray. Maverrant lost no time in filling the void. Besides rallying the survivors in Cadifus, he marshaled his considerable telepathic abilities and began a global broadcast to provide information and comfort to the rest of Rilophrius. As a result, similar recovery work had begun across the planet and teams were being dispatched to search for survivors through some worryingly silent provinces.

However, there were bigger problems still to deal with. The meager food stores would soon be gone and it would be a long time before the Oracle breathed new life into the fields. To deal with this Maverrant contacted the Shadow Proclamation, demolishing the stern isolationist policy that had gripped his planet for so long. Already emergency response troops were on their way, with rations and medical aid.

The Doctor had missed all of this. Martha turned from the window as the last rays of sunshine crept along the simple bed and over his still face. His hearts were beating steadily and his breathing was deep and even. All of his cuts and bruises from their adventures in the cave and temple had healed almost miraculously and his skin was smooth and clear. He appeared to be in a natural sleep, showing no sign of the coma she had feared when she had reached his collapsed form on the dais.

She hadn't really known what else to do for him but make him comfortable and wait. And so she had, filling her days with work at the hospital and shelters, while her nights were spent in this room with him. She wasn't left alone, Maverrant had seen to it that his household staff was at her disposal and his mother had been particularly kind. However, she missed the Doctor desperately. She would come back here each evening hoping to see him sitting up, greeting her with that goofy grin but he was always unchanged.

Sighing she turned back to the window, letting her gaze travel upwards towards the Temple Mount. If she squinted, she could just make out a blue box on the edge, its top picked out by the last rays of the twin suns. The power was back on in the Tardis now that the Oracle acolytes were no longer working to control it. Martha understood now, as Maverrant had commented, that they really hadn't had the power to control it completely. The Doctor could have left anytime he wanted to. Despite his anger with the planet and his clearly complicated feelings about this Time War, he had still come and stayed to help. That was just The Doctor.

She'd visited the Tardis since its power had returned, enjoying the feeling of welcome and warmth she always had when she went there. She talked to it to, telling it her worries and fears, allowing its soft thrumming to calm her. She would give the Doctor one more day. After that she was going to have him moved to the Tardis and hope that it could help him to wake up somehow. She had to try something. A mental picture of herself as an old woman flashed through her mind. She would grow old and grey looking out this same window, while the Doctor remained, never-changing in that bed.

"A rilo for your thoughts?" Interrupted an inordinately chirpy voice from behind her. "That's quite a good bargain, worth much more than a penny. Although exchange rates are funny things, it doesn't really work when one commerce system is more of a psychic construct, while the other is - well, let's face it - an accepted arbitrary –"

"Shut up Doctor!" Martha said grinning broadly, as she threw her arms around his pajama-clad frame. The Doctor laughed hugging her back.

"How long was I out for?"

"Six days. You scared me." Martha said bluntly.

"Wooo, six days. I honestly didn't think it would be that long. I knew I would be able to channel it, but that was one pent up Oracle. I'm sorry Martha. But hey," He slapped his knees and swung his legs over the bed.

"Now that I'm awake we can go somewhere fun!" He stood up and promptly sat down again as his weakened legs refused to cooperate. "Or maybe in a bit."

"Yeah, in a bit" agreed Martha grinning again.

...

The day The Doctor and Martha left Rilophrius, they were given a typically silent send off. Councilor Danuel Maverrant in company with other officials of Cadifus, stood in on the Temple mount. Their official robes hanging loosely on their gaunt bodies, but their smiles were broad. Matlena, Maverrant's little girl, held his hand and smiled shyly from behind her father's robes.

With ceremony, Maverrant presented The Doctor and Martha with psychic charms that would, as it was explained to Martha, provide them with a link to Rilophrius for whenever they needed it. Maverrant turned to the small crowd lining the stairs of the slope. In silence he addressed them. Judging by the expressions on the faces of the gathered, Martha was sure that whatever Maverrant said was stirring and thought provoking. For her part, she spent the speech enjoying the warmth of the twin suns on her face and noting the burgeoning twinges of purple amongst the brown brush of the slopes. Eventually Maverrant turned towards The Doctor and her.

"I do not have the skill to put into spoken words, all that we feel. I can only say thank you and hope that this can mark a new beginning. Doctor if ever you have need of us, rest assured Rilophrius will answer your call." Maverrant and the Doctor locked eyes for a moment before both relaxed and smiled.

"Likewise Maverrant, and I promise I will pop in from time to time." The Doctor answered. Maverrant held his gaze for another moment and then turned to Martha with smile.

"And Miss Martha, your assistance and compassion has been greatly appreciated. If you have a desire to continue your studies in non-earthling medicine you will be most welcome."

"I think one life form is enough for now, but you'll be the first to know! Good luck with everything, I hope the recovery plans work out." Martha grinned widely, holding up her hands to the sides of her head and bowing in a Rilophrian greeting. Maverrant smiled and held out his hand for her to shake in Western Earthling manner.

"So formal!" Protested The Doctor as he threw his arms around both of them in a classic group hug. The Doctor and Martha turned and walked to the Tardis doors.

"Where are you going this time Doctor?" Maverrant called after them as they opened the doors. Leaning, back out, The Doctor grinned mischievously. "Well first we're going to jump back to Earth for a quick visit and refuel at a temporal rift I know about and then…" He waggled his eyebrows.

"Who knows!"

The End


End file.
